Why install a video system in your church?

LIVE STREAM

To live stream church services. Whether on Facebook Live, YouTube or your own website, streaming church services allows you to connect with people beyond the walls of your church. You can reach existing members who are unable to attend the service live and reach new members who may feel more comfortable checking out your church online before they join.

RECORD

To record services, choir concerts, or special messages given by guest speakers. If church members can't attend a service, recordings will allow them to watch the service at a later date. A church might also send recordings to air services on local television channels.

DISTRIBUTE

To distribute services live into other areas of the building such as the nursery or fellowship hall. This is particularly useful for overflow areas when the main church hall is full. Video can be distributed to monitors mounted throughout the main church hall so that everyone has an excellent view of the worship service, regardless of where they are sitting.

Getting Started

Putting together a video system for your church is an involved process and each system is different. To begin the process, here are a few questions you should ask yourself:

What are you trying to accomplish with your video system?Record/archive, stream online, and/or distribute to in-house screens or overflow areas

Are you upgrading an existing standard definition video system?High definition video has taken over and is now expected by most people when it comes to video quality. It is important to note that, when migrating from a standard definition system to a high definition system, ALL of the video components must be HD-compatible in order to take full advantage of high definition video quality. We are happy to answer any questions about and asisting with upgrading to a high definition video system.

How many cameras will you need?The size of the facility and the size of your budget will help determine the number of cameras you will need. With the pan, tilt and zoom functions of the GOHD400 cameras, a one-camera system for a church may be satisfactory. The use of more than one camera requires the additional need for a video selector/mixer.

How far will you have to run cable from the camera(s) to your AV room?HDMI cable is limited in length, with 50 ft generally being considered the maximum length without the use of extenders or boosters. This is why we typically recommend high definition SDI instead. SDI is transmitted over 75 Ohm coax cable with BNC connectors, typically RG-6; the coax cable can be run for over 300ft.

Case Studies

Browse our HOUSE OF WORSHIP CASE STUDIES to see how churches are using the equipment to meet their specific needs.
(Click to expand a case study)

Center for Spiritual Living Granada Hills

Objective: Center for Spiritual Living Granada Hills (CSL) came to us with the desire to live stream their church services. They wanted a two-camera system and they wanted to incorporate PowerPoint content (scripture and lyrics) from an existing PC computer. They had an existing Mac computer that would be used for live streaming.

Solution: The designed system for CSL includes two GO ELECTRONIC GOHD400 high definition PTZ cameras controlled by one GO ELECTRONIC RCC1000 joystick controller. HD-SDI video from each camera is carried over coax cable to the Mac computer. Each video signal is captured to the Mac via two Blackmagic BDLKULSDZMINREC UltraStudio Mini Recorders. These capture devices connect to the Mac via Thunderbolt ports. In addition to video, audio from the church's existing sound system is captured to the Mac via a Blackmagic BINTSSHU-THBOLT Intensity Shuttle for Thunderbolt.

Besides the cameras and controller, Wirecast software is an integral component to this system designed for CSL. Wirecast enables the capture, live production, live streaming and recording of events. Wirecast supports an unlimited number of input devices including live cameras (in this case the GOHD400's), iPhones/iPads, audio, video, graphics and more. With Wirecast, you can also broadcast the desktop of a computer during webcasts via the included Desktop Presenter application. This is how CSL incorporates their PowerPoint documents with scripture and lyrics (their PC running PowerPoint is networked to their Mac running Wirecast). With Wirecast's user-friendly interface, CSL is able to add titles (e.g., the speaker's name), watermarks and lower-thirds (e.g., the church logo) to their broadcast. CSL does not need an external preview monitor for the GOHD400 cameras because they can preview video from all video sources simultaneously on their Mac monitor within Wirecast. It should be noted that Wirecast is not a streaming service. The streaming service must be sourced (for free or paid) separately. CSL live streams their services to YouTube every week and all videos are available on YouTube for anyone to view on demand following the live stream.

Objective: Watson Chapel Baptist Church (WBCB) had already decided they would use Boxcast streaming service and the corresponding Boxcaster hardware encoder for streaming and archiving capabilities. However, they needed a video system for their church, specifically three high definition video cameras and a compatible a/v switcher.

Solution: Although a three camera system can seem overwhelming, the system designed for WBCB is quite simple. The system consists of three GO ELECTRONIC GOHD400 high definition PTZ cameras, one GO ELECTRONIC RCC1000 joystick controller for controlling the three cameras, and a ROLAND V-1SDI switcher for switching between video sources.

The RCC1000 joystick controller is used to control the PTZ functions of the three cameras. For control, the cameras are installed in a daisy-chain configuration (RCC1000 connects to camera 1, camera 1 connects to camera 2, and camera 2 connects to camera 3). Because they are using pan-tilt-zoom cameras, WCBC does not require three people to man each camera. A single person can remotely pan tilt and zoom each camera and prepare each camera for the next shot.

In contrast to the daisy-chain installation for control, HD-SDI video runs from each camera over coax to the Roland V-1SDI switcher. In addition to the cameras, WCBC has a computer running scripture/lyrics connected to the V-1SDI switcher via the HDMI input. So the four-channel Roland switcher is supporting three cameras and one computer and allows the operator to smoothly switch between the four sources. The switcher also includes Downstream Keying (DSK) and Picture-in-Picture (PinP) effects. With DSK, WCBC can overlay titles, logos or even song lyrics or scripture onto incoming video sources. The PIP function is useful when WCBC wants to show a full screen of scripture from the connected computer while still showing a smaller live shot of the pastor in the bottom right corner. The HDMI multi-view output on the V-1SDI switcher is used to view not only the live broadcast but also to preview video from the three input sources. These previews are used by the RCC1000 operator when re-positioning cameras. WCBC connects their Boxcaster to the output of the Roland V-1SDI switcher. With the Boxcaster encoder and Boxcast service, WCBC can live stream their services without the need for a computer. They say Boxcast is like "streaming for dummies".

Objective: Fairview Park Church of Christ (FPCC) wanted to set up a two-camera high definition system in their church for the purpose of live streaming. FPCC wanted to take advantage of all of the features of Wirecast software however they were reluctant to source and configure their own computer.

Solution: Not too long before FPCC came to us for help with their video system, Telestream (the developer of Wirecast) introduced Wirecast Gear, a fully configured computer workstation designed to run Wirecast Pro software for live streaming. This was the perfect solution for FPCC. We paired Wirecast Gear 110 (4-input HDMI model) with two GO ELECTRONIC GOHD400 high definition PTZ cameras and a GO ELECTRONIC RCC1000 joystick controller for controlling the two cameras. As a turnkey system, Wirecast Gear made installation so easy. FPCC simply connected the two GOHD400 cameras to the HDMI inputs on the Wirecast Gear unit and they were ready to go.

"Our new Wirecast Gear is working wonderfully and everyone is thrilled with the performance." -Fairview Park Church

Custom Systems

We have helped design hundreds of customized church video packages and are well experienced with the different needs and goals of House of Worship video systems. Below you will find several video systems for sale that allow for some basic customization. If you require more customization or if you are not sure exactly what you need, we are happy to help answer any questions that you have or put together a system specifically designed for you. CONTACT US with your specifications and requirements.

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO SYSTEM FOR CHURCH with MULTIPLE CAMERAS and a HARDWARE-BASED SWITCHER

Some people just prefer to press buttons, turn knobs and toggle switches; hardware-based switchers are just more intuitive for some people. The following systems all include a stand-alone Roland audio/video switcher. The Roland switchers offer comparable features to Wirecast software. However, one key difference to note, with these hardware-based switchers, you are limited to the inputs and outputs on the switcher.

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO SYSTEM FOR CHURCH with MULTIPLE CAMERAS and a SOFTWARE-BASED SWITCHER

If you are comfortable with computers and learning a new software program, then the following systems are for you. These systems all take advantage of Wirecast software's live production switching capabilities. Wirecast supports an unlimited number of sources (live cameras, IP sources, audio interfaces, live screen captures, wifi or LTE sources, videos, images, sounds, etc). This makes for a very flexible, customizable system.

PTZ CONTROLLERS

FEATURED SWITCHERS / MIXERS

WIRECAST LIVE STREAMING PRODUCTION SOFTWARE

Wirecast is an all-in-one cost effective solution that enables the capture, live production, archiving, streaming and live in-house distribution of your church services. Wirecast supports an unlimited number of input devices including live camera feeds, audio, video, graphics and more. Capture video from multiple cameras to your PC or Mac using the appropriate capture device from Black Magic or Magewell. With Wirecast's user-friendly interface, you can add transitions as you switch between cameras and add titles, watermarks and lower-thirds to your broadcast. Eliminate the need for external preview monitors since you can preview video from all cameras simultaneously on your PC monitor via Wirecast. You have the options to stream live and/or save the video to your PC for future archiving, DVD duplication or on-demand distribution. And if you need to distribute the live video stream in-house to monitors in overflow areas or other parts of the church, you can do so via Wirecast's External Display Output option.
TELESTREAM WC-STU-W Wirecast Studio - Windows Price: $449.00
TELESTREAM WC-PRO-W Wirecast Pro - Windows Price: $699.00